Development of a piezoresistive sensor based on zinc oxide thin films deposited on silicon wafers, with instrumentation tailored for Internet of Things (IoT) applications
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: In this work, a piezoresistive sensor was fabricated by depositing a zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film onto a silicon wafer. Using the spray pyrolysis (SP) technique, several ZnO films with different electrical resistance values were deposited and subsequently analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to reveal their morphology, a curve tracer to obtain the I–V characteristics, energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to confirm chemical composition, and a spectrophotometer for transmittance and absorbance tests. The fabrication of sensors on bakelite sheets with copper coating is also described, followed by comparative tests of mechanical pressure versus electrical resistance. Finally, the characterization data of the sensor are presented, along with its implementation through a voltage divider and an ESP32 microcontroller, one of the most widely used platforms for IoT system design.
Source: Research Square
Language: English
Topic: ZnO doping and properties
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7165528443